Storage battery.



'eines PA'rNr hero:

IiIL-LER HUTCHISON, OF' WEST' ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 EDISO' STBGE BATTERY COMPANY, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW J ERSEY, A. CORPORATION OF NEV! JEESEY.

srorensn BATTERY.

specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept-h 19, gf

Application filed April 25, 1914. Serial No. 834,293.

To all 'whom't may come/m:

Be it known that I, MiLrJisii Rrissn Ho'i'onisoi'i, a citizen of the' United States, and a,

'resident of Llewellyn Park, VVest Orange,

iiig the elcctrolyte fi'oni the interior Of stor:

age battery containers.

n the Edison type of storage batterics it is necessary to reneiv 'the electrolyte at intervzils of app'roximately one year, and in storage battery cells of this Character: known as submarine cellswhich have a high discharge rate,it is vei'yj important and 'adv'antageoiis that the .elec'ti- Olyte may be rernoyed'witho'ut disturbing the .battery cells. This is'so because of thel factthiit Ythese cells areoften set-up or installed .in'a very limited, space, as vfor example inrsubmarine Vessels, Where frequentlyv the battcrjjl cells areso .located that only the tops thereof are accossi'ole. Because of theinacces'sibility of oel'ls so installed it'w'onld be very incfoiivenient and ti'oublesome yto remove the electrolyte therefrom in the usual manner, Ve.

by tipping or invertingthe cells. d

` The principal object of my invention is to provide improved means whcrebythe electrolyte may be readilyremoved from batoell eontainers while in an upright positioxn'and thiis avoid the necessityof moving or tilting the cells.

Other objects'and features of my'-,inven- 'tion will be liereina fter more fully described and claimed.

-For a Clearex' understanding of my inven tion, attention is direoted ,to-the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification and in which:

Figure 1 is. a side elevation.IV partly in section, of an Edison cell equ'ipped with my invention; Fig.. 9 is a plan view of 'the tubiii lzii' member through lwhich the electrolyte is rcmoved'from the cell; and Fig'. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the top of the battery can or contfiiner showing the opening therein for the tubnlar member.

Referring to thev drawing, reference character 1 represents the battery can or con-- tainer having the top 2 and bottom 3 preferably welde'l to the sides thereof. The top 2 is provided with the usual filling tube or neck 4 and a gas ti'ap or 'Safety device 5 such as is cominonlyemployedin storage batteries of the Edison type, especially those known as snbmarine cells. 'Thegfilling tube 4- is provided with the usu'al'hinged lid 4', ivhich, when closed, efectually sea-Is the fillrng tube against the escape of gases. The tra-p or Safety device is preferably of the type desoribed and claimed in my Patent l\ "o. 1,130,977, dated March 9,1915, and enf titled Safety devices The Safety device hits a tube or'neclr extending'above' the container and provided Wit-li a'lid o1' lcover '7,

normzilly held closed by spring pressure. I`he .neck is provided with suitable openings (not shown) to permitthe'escape 'of gases from the cell. j'

`Nithin the container il is'theusuil group or bank ofpositive andl''negative plates or elements 8 containing-tlie actifveelements of the cell 'and ari'anged side'bysidegtlie two, outside pla-cs of the .groupz-- being; sli'ghtly, spaced from :the adjacent 'sidewafll's of the co'ntainer. Tbe-plates. v8"iarei`oo nne-,ct'ed tov poles or tcrm-inals eiitendingl through the".

top of .the oontainer, on'e of' Said poles orv tcrminals being shown at 9.;

Reference Character 10) Irepresents the electroly'te which' should be maiiitaind at a predetermined level in the cell, and for the' rcinoval of which'l provide atiibulai' member or drain tube 11. extending to'vwithin a short distance from the bottom'of the cell. The tubular member or drain tube 171 is provided near its upperzend with a short cylindrical portion 12 having a 'finge and a screw-,threded tubula'r portion 14 extending through 'an opening 15 in the top 2 of the'can or eontainer 1. Forvnveiiience in assembling, the screwthreaded portiou His made as a separat'e piece and is preferably brazed in the cylindricalportion 12 of member 1].. T-he tubular member or (lrain tube is fii'mly .secured tofthe 'iitainer top 2 by means of a nut 16 threaded on the tubular. portion .14. A soft rubbcr 'washer 22 is disposed between thc'fiange 13 and top 2 of the container and when nut 16 is tightened this washer is compi'essed and expanded latcrally to form a' tight lioint between the top 2 and the drain tube. The outer end of the drain tube is normally closed by an interiorlyytlireaded cap 17 applied to the scx'ci'.f-thrczi(ied portion 121. ''he czai) 17 has an annular groove in which is loosely mounted ring 18 having a Chain connection 20 with the container to prevent the loss of the cap whenithe Same is removed from the drain tube; The'fiange 13vis provided with an upwardlyv eXten'ding-pin 2-1 which projects through the washer 51-2 and thetop 2 of the container, the opening 15 in top 2 having 'anofi-set portion 23, as shown in Fig. 3, .to accommodate the pin 2-1. The pin 21 and off-set portion-23 ofropening 15 ect as a lock to prevent turning of the tubular member or drain tube 1-1, or displacement thereof from the position shown in Fig. 1.

.Below the cylindrical portion 12 the drain tube 11 is'p'rovided With an off-set downwardly extendi-ng' flattened port-ion 24Z whereby the same may be -readily disposed in the small space between one ofthe outermost plates 8 and the adjacent wall of the VV conteiner 1 as clearly shown in Fig. l.

It will be apparent that the tubuiar membei' ordrain tube 11 maybe readily applied to storage betteries of the type shown, with- .out necessitating any changes in the construction of the batteries or in the arrangement of the partsthereof.

f'drain .tube 'Ilf 'underpressure preferably -a1r,. may be To remove the electrolyte from the battery can or container 1, the cap 17 is removed ."from ,the serew-thrcaded tubular portion 1 l, =iv tube applied to the letter and the e'leetro1yte' vsi-phong'ed out;`or, after the removal of lf, .pressure mity be applied to thesurfaeeof the elect'rolyte and the latter forced out of the container- 1v through In. the letter case, fluid p. m'ped vinto the container through the necl:

Ato

ofthe Safety device or gis trap 5.

"'"While have de'sxjibed 'my iiivention as applied tov a. st0`rage battery cell, it is obvious'that itfis :idapted for'application, generally"to-containers from which it is desired'to remove' fluid` in the manuer descrihed herein, i

.'Itisto. be understood that many changes may be inadein the specific form' of my invention lillustrated Vand described herein Without any departure from the spirit of the invention and the scotp'e of the claims. Hai/img no`w described my inven'tion, Wh'atl claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is as follews:

1. In a storage bette cell, the combinetion with the battery can or coutainer, of

meens the -e-lectrolyte of the cell m w i d`` Irom' the' (font-einer 'When the cell is in an upright position, szud means co'mprising a tubular member rexnovably connected to the top of the container ;md prolecting above the same and having a lower open end termmatmg adjaceut the bottom of the container, said member and.

member having an upper end portiont projecting through the top of thecont'ainer and t-erminating above the letter and a' flattened portion extending (low wurdly from upper end po'rtionV to 'within a short distance fromthebottorn of the contniner, said lluttened poi'tioii being disposed bctwcen one of the outside plate. of said group and the adjaceut wall of the coz'- tainer, substantially described.

3. .l n a storage battery cell, the combination With the closed hatte'ryean or cout-einer and the group ofpositive and negative elements or plates supported and assembled side by side therein, ,of a'tuular member having an upper exid portion projecting through top of the-contai'ner .and terminating above the letter and a flattened portion extending downwardly -fr'om said upper end'portion to within a 'short' distance from the bot'toni of ,the'container,- said flattened portion 'beingdisposed between one of the outside platesfof said group a'nd the edjaccnt wall Voft-he contniner, the top 'of the contniner and' said. tubular member being provided with coacting means to pre-'- vent turning 'of the letter, substantially as described. i

4. In a storage battery cell, the combinetion with the vclosed httery'enn or conttuner, said container being provided with.

This specilieation signed and witnessed this 23ml day of April, 1911i.

llHLliiER REESE HUTCHSON. Vs'itnesses: ii firm-:AM A. Hziung Mam? J; LA-ibmw.

llO 

